Exploring Start-Up Event Sequences

This research investigates which specific behaviors and the number and sequences of behaviors by nascent entrepreneurs are likely to result in the creation of a successful business. The primary objective is to answer these questions: (1) What activities were undertaken? (2) How many activities were undertaken? (3) When were these activities undertaken? Data were drawn from secondary analysis of two representative samples: 683 adult residents in Wisconsin and 1,016 adult residents in the United States. From these, 71 nascent entrepreneurs were identified and their activities tracked across two interviews. Forty-eight percent set up a business operation; over 20 percent gave up trying; and almost one third were still trying. From the analysis of results, activity profiles of the three types of nascent entrepreneurs were developed:(1) Started a business. Entrepreneurs who started a business early on undertook activities to make the business tangible; they undertook more activities; they quickly put themselves into the day-to-day process of running a business. (2) Gave up. Those who gave up starting a business discovered their initial idea would not work. (3) Still trying.Those still trying seemed not to be undertaking enough activities to determine whether to give up or start the business; they had undertaken fewer activities than those in other groups, and fewer that would make the business real to others. Concludes that kinds of activities, numbers of activities, and sequence of activities significantly affect ability of nascent entrepreneurs to create businesses.(TNM)